There’s not one word more perfect than “unbelievable” to describe this overnight blueberry french toast casserole. Perfect make-ahead recipe for busy mornings!
Now THIS is french toast! Made with chunks of crusty bread, sweet blueberries, lots of brown sugar, a sweet egg-y custard, assembled in a baking pan, and topped with brown sugar cinnamon streusel.
There’s enough goodness to make your entire family happy. And then some.
This casserole is the definition of comfort food. I made it for my friends who just welcomed their daughter into the world. I prepped the french toast the night before and brought the dish to them the next morning after baking it for about 45 minutes. That’s the beauty of this breakfast… it’s designed to be made ahead of time.
It’s designed to MAKE LIFE EASIER!
I typically use challah bread when I make french toast—either in traditional form or as a casserole. It’s my favorite when making berries & cream french toast also. Although you can use sourdough bread or french bread like I use for mini french toast. Homemade or store-bought, whichever is easiest. Even homemade honey-oat bread would be fantastic. No matter what type of bread you use, make sure it’s crusty. Day-old and a little stale. Bread that’s been sitting out a day or two (and therefore has lost some moisture) will absorb much more of the egg custard.
Speaking of the egg custard. What you’ll make is a thick mixture of eggs, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon will go into the custard AND in the streusel on top. The cinnamon soaking into the bread is phenomenal!
For that creamy custard taste, I use 8 eggs total and a little over 2 cups of whole milk. Whole milk is key; I don’t suggest a lower fat milk. Even half-and-half would do. You want a luxurious, thick custard.
You’ll cut the bread up into cubes, pour the custard overtop, and stick the whole pan in the refrigerator. During this time, the crusty bread soaks up the cinnamon spiced egg custard, imparting flavor and moisture into the dish as a whole. You can leave it in the refrigerator anywhere from overnight down to 3-4 hours. I find the longer the bread soaks, the tastier the casserole. So, put the refrigerator to work!
During the last few minutes of fridge-time, prepare a brown sugar streusel topping. This is like icing on the cake—like the best parts of crumb coffee cake + French toast combined. The streusel topping is made from equal parts brown sugar and flour, a dose of cinnamon, and cold butter. Emphasis on the cold! The butter is cut into the other 3 ingredients using a pastry blender. Alternatively, you can use two forks or even your fingers.
Sprinkle it over the soaked bread and bake until golden brown. This is the kind of breakfast you make on the weekend not only to gobble up with friends and family, but to smell it as it bakes. I always thought baking banana bread was the best aroma from the oven but this… oh man. It’s even better.
There’s so much texture and flavor, but I think the best part of this overnight french toast is the juicy blueberries. They pop and burst, leaving sweet blueberry juice in between all the cracks and crevices of the casserole.
Fill your plate and top it all with maple syrup, butter, fresh fruit, homemade blueberry sauce topping, or a shower of confectioners’ sugar. There’s no wrong way to eat this unbelievable goodness! Just as long as you go back for seconds.
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Unbelievable Blueberry French Toast Casserole
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 9 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
There’s not one word more perfect than “unbelievable” to describe this overnight blueberry french toast casserole. Perfect make-ahead recipe for busy mornings!
Ingredients
- 1 (12-14 ounce) loaf french bread, sourdough bread, or challah*
- 1 cup (180g) fresh or frozen blueberries*
- 8 large eggs
- 2 and 1/4 cups (540ml) whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) pure vanilla extract
Streusel Topping
- 1/3 cup (69g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (41g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 Tablespoons (86g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- optional: extra blueberries, fresh fruit, maple syrup, and/or confectioners’ sugar for topping
Instructions
- Grease a 9×13-inch pan with butter or spray with nonstick spray. Slice then cut the bread into cubes, about 1 inch in size. Spread cubes into the prepared baking pan and top evenly with blueberries. Set aside.
- Whisk the eggs, milk, cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Pour over the bread. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and stick in the refrigerator for 3 hours – overnight. Overnight is best.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Remove pan from the refrigerator.
- Prepare the topping: Whisk the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Cut in the cubed butter with a pastry blender or two forks. Sprinkle the topping over the soaked bread.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown on top. I usually bake it for 45 minutes because I like it softer. Serve immediately. Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare the topping in advance, cover tightly, and store in the refrigerator. Sprinkle over the soaked bread before baking. For freezing, prepare the recipe through step 4 (without preheating the oven) and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then bake as directed. Baked casserole can be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm up in a 350°F (177°C) for 35 minutes or until warm in the center.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×13-Inch Baking Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk
- Half Batch: This recipe can easily be halved in an 8-inch baking pan or 9-inch baking pan. The bake time will be slightly less, around 30-35 minutes.
- Bread: Day-old, crusty bread is perfect for french toast casseroles. I typically use a loaf of challah bread that I slice and let sit out overnight. You’ll wind up with about 12 cups of cubed bread. A little more or less is OK.
- Fruit: Instead of blueberries, try strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries. In the fall, try cranberries or thinly sliced apples or pears. So many options!
Keywords: overnight french toast casserole, blueberry french toast casserole
Hi Sally, I want to use a challah bread that is 20 oz. Should I add another 50% to existing recipe amounts? So 12 eggs etc? Made this for Easter and it was amazing so back on the menu for Christmas brunch. Thank you!
★★★★★
Hi Rachel! 1.5x the other ingredients may be a little too much with the 20 oz loaf, but the recipe will still turn out just fine– it may need a bit longer in the oven to set up.
Discovered this recipe about 3 years ago While frantically searching for an overnight blueberry breakfast casserole for Christmas morning. It was a hit and now I make it whenever I have left over bread and blueberries. Thank you for this great easy recipe.
★★★★★
I made this today for my kids they loved it will be making it again
I made this recently when we visited some friends who live in the ‘blueberry capital’. I assembled it in her kitchen, left it overnight and baked it in the morning. Everyone loved it. I had bought some delicious blueberry syrup to serve with it. We made some eggs and bacon to complete our breakfast, and our friends are still talking about It! I am making it again tonight. I especially love the addition of the streusal topping. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
★★★★★
Dear Sally,
I’ve been a silent fan of your page for a long time but while I’m waiting for this to finish bake I thought I would use this time to say thank you for all the wonderful recipes. I’ve always been able to rely on your well thought through recipes – they always turn out great and I get tons of compliments!
(Oh thanks for adding the extra infos on the ingredient lists for non-US followers )
★★★★★
Hi Sally! This was so incredibly delicious! Thank you!
I want to try using apples this time instead of blueberries. You say to use thinly sliced apples, but I was wondering if using chopped apples instead. I’m thinking of keeping the size similar to the blueberries. Do you think that would work? Or would the apples get mushy? I am making it for my mother in law who is visiting and don’t want to ruin a good thing, but since it is fall…
★★★★★
I think apple chunks would work also! Please let me know if you try it – apple would be so perfect for the fall!
I have made this once before and everyone at work loved it. I will making again for tomorrow but this time instead of milk I have Kerry gold Irish Irish cream and I need to use up.
Hi Sally! I just wanted to thank you for always providing so many extra details with your recipes! I am always wondering about freezing something and baking it at a later time and your instructions are so descriptive! I am going to make this tonight and freeze it to bring to the cabin with family next weekend and I know everyone will love it!
Has anyone ever added a banana(s)? I’m afraid it will mess it up but my family said they think it will work.
I think the addition of bananas would be delicious!
Hi can I prepare this and leave overnight for 2 nights? Or is that too long?
Thank you.
Rita
Hi Rita! For best taste and texture, I recommend only about 1 night.
Hi! A friend made this a few days ago, and I just had to have more! I’ve been baking it for over an hour, and the custard hasn’t set…It’s still very wet, but the top is done. I put foil over it and have the heat cranked up to 375. I originally baked it on the middle rack, but I’ve since moved it down to the bottom rack. Where should I have placed this casserole in the first place?
So glad you enjoy this French toast casserole! I recommend baking closer to the top heat element, so the center rack would be best. The casserole will bake more evenly this way.
Unbelievable is an understatement. I doubled the recipe for a family getaway for 20 people. Everyone was begging for the recipe even though I forgot the flour for the crumb topping. I ended up using half and half and a mixture of water on top of the dried out brioche. People who don’t enjoy breakfast or sweets fell in love. I’ve been baking off of your blog since 2012 and this is the first review I’ve posted and I’m so sorry for not saying anything sooner. This will be a family recipe from here on out and I will definitely start posting more reviews of your recipes because I’ve tried A LOT of them and they’re always a huge hit. Thank you sooooooo much for all of your incredible recipes!
Hi Kelly! Thank you so much for saying hi 🙂 Thrilled that your family enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your loyal readership over all of these years! xo
I made this for Sunday brunch today, it was absolutely delicious ! I used the Challah bread and it was phenomenal. One suggestion, add blueberries just before baking and I added chopped toasted pecans to the topping. SOOOO good !
Can I bake it the day before and reheat in the morning?
Absolutely! I usually reheat covered at 300F for 15 minutes.
Hello. I’ve made this 3 times in 2 weeks and absolutely love it. A friend recommended pecans instead of blueberries. Do you think that would work? Would I need to make any changes? Every recipe of yours that I have tried have been incredible. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Tina! Pecans are a wonderful substitution for the blueberries. No changes to the recipe necessary.
Can you add cream cheese?
Yes! You can make a cross between this recipe and this one: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/baked-cream-cheese-french-toast-casserole/
I love your recipes! I’m making the Bisucit Breakfast Casserole and Unbelievable Blueberry French Toast for New Years Day brunch. I only have one oven and want to make them at the same time – how would you suggest adjusting the temperatures (one is at 350 and the other at 375) and baking time? Thank you!!
Hi Ann! I recommend baking both at 350F. The bake time will be a little longer regardless because the oven is a little more crowded. 🙂
I made this for Christmas morning and it was AMAZING!!!! Thank you!!!
Just wanna say I’ve made this before, several times now. It is just sooooo good, that streusel topping takes it to a whole other level (though it is good without too, which I’ve done!). I love that you can make it ahead, and it’s very easy to make too. Thanks for giving me a recipe for my collection!
I find I need more egg/custard mixture in order to cover the bread… I’ve done it with less, but it seems pretty crusty on top for those bread pieces that didn’t really get soaked. Thoughts?
Can I use brioche bread ?
Absolutely!
Either should be just fine.